WSJ scathing editorial in advance of today's op-ed and speech by Romney. The Journal, in part:
The safety-net fund that was supposed to be unwound, well, wasn't. Uncompensated hospital care rose 5% from 2008 to 2009, and 15% from 2009 to 2010, hitting $475 million (though the state only paid out $405 million). "Avoidable" use of emergency rooms—that is, for routine care like a sore throat—increased 9% between 2004 and 2008. Meanwhile, unsubsidized insurance premiums for individuals and small businesses have climbed to among the highest in the nation.
Like Mr. Obama's reform, RomneyCare was predicated on the illusion that insurance would be less expensive if everyone were covered. Even if this theory were plausible, it is not true in Massachusetts today. So as costs continue to climb, Mr. Romney's Democratic successor now wants to create a central board of political appointees to decide how much doctors and hospitals should be paid for thousands of services.
The Romney camp blames all this on a failure of execution, not of design. But by this cause-and-effect standard, Mr. Romney could push someone out of an airplane and blame the ground for killing him.
I supported Romney over McCain in 2008 but it is long past time for Mitt to admit the massive failure of Massachusetts' healthcare system, instituted on his watch as governor.
Romney has shown he is out of step with the times, and with the American experiment our founders established. We need honest leaders with clear solutions, who respect the freedom of the individual, not apologists for big government coercion and failure.
The Tea Party in Boston of yore recognized tyranny when they saw it. For all his smarts and know-how, Mitt sticks with the ruling class.
...And has shown he's not up to the battles yet to come. We need a candidate with a core philosophy, integrity, and courage.
--crossposted at BackyardConservative
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